The Rife
by Janinede
Summary: What would happen if there were two clans of vampires living near Forks? More importantly, what would happen if one vampire lost control? I take up my pen to tell you this tale of control or lack thereof, love, and adventure.


It was a dark and moonless night. The stars shone down on a grey strip of tar slicing through the forests below; a highway. This highway led one way to the little town of Forks, Washington, and the other way to the nearby tourist trap of Port Angeles. A single van passed, heading east towards Port Angeles, then all was quiet.

But it wasn't quiet for long. If one listened very closely one could hear a soft, low humming to the west. The humming became louder and louder, and two cars crested the hillside, going way over the speed limit. One car, a silver Volvo, was a little ahead of the other, a flashy red convertible with its roof up. The convertible revved its engine and sped ahead of the Volvo, going back down the hill and disappearing into the distance, the silver car on its tail.

The two cars stayed neck and neck, each trying to outdo the other in the dangerous hundred-mile-per-hour race. After a few minutes they neared Port Angeles, and the cars swerved in unison away from the town and back onto the highway, continuing east. Another few minutes later the convertible, currently in the lead, made a hard right onto an unpaved road leading off the highway into the countryside, into nowhere. The Volvo followed, still behind. The dirt road ended up ahead, switching to long grass that swayed in the night breeze. It seemed the convertible would win, but the Volvo made a final push and jolted ahead, leaving the road only a foot or so in front of the convertible. At once the silver Volvo braked, fishtailing around and stopping in a cloud of dust. The convertible did the same, stopping a little less quickly.

The driver's door of the Volvo opened and a tallish boy with reddish-brown colored hair stepped out, a wide grin on his face. His face was perfect, every feature distinct and lovely. Eyes of liquid topaz stood out against chalky-pale skin, and under his eyes were light purplish shadows, as if he hadn't slept in a while. But the apparent lack of sleep had no effect on his exuberance as he crossed over to the other side of the car with inhuman speed and held open the passenger door. A small girl with short black hair that stuck out at all angles, the same perfect features, and a delicate build stepped out, also grinning in the direction of the convertible. Two others got out of the Volvo, a girl with mahogany colored hair and a boy with honey blonde hair.

Out of the convertible stepped four teenagers also, two girls and two boys, the same mark of beauty stamped upon their features. One of the boys, a tall, graceful looking boy with shoulder-length dark brown hair, stepped forward, a girl with long brown-black hair right behind him.

"Hah! I told you my car could go faster than Rosalie's! But did you listen? Nooo…" the bronze-haired boy grinned wider. The dark-haired boy who had stepped out of the convertible glared at him, but there was a touch of amusement to his eyes.

"Fine. But we'll beat you next time!" he attempted to keep up his glaring but failed miserably, dissolving into laughter. All eight of the teenagers broke out laughing, the field ringing with the beautiful sound. The small black-haired girl from the Volvo suddenly stopped, her whole body rigid as she stared into space. The bronze-haired boy noticed her frozen position and stopped also.

"Jasper! Catch her!" he yelled as she began to fall, diving towards her. The honey-blonde boy, Jasper, was faster and caught the girl, colliding with the bronze-haired boy with a sound like two boulders smashing together. One of the boys from the convertible, a boy with light brown hair, cocked his head to the side as if listening.

"Hush," he whispered. The teenagers all paused, as still as statues. After a moment or so the boy shook his head. "No, sorry. It was nothing."

By then all of them had started to group around the girl, watching her anxiously. Jasper touched the girl gently on her cheek. "Alice, what did you see?" he whispered. Alice shook her head slightly and seemed to come back to her senses.

"There are two of them, brother and sister," she said in a low voice. "They're…in Washington."

"Is that all?" the bronze-haired boy asked. Alice nodded.

"That's all for now," she replied, struggling out of Jasper's arms. "Sorry," she laughed, looking around at everyone clustered around her. "I'm fine now."

With a brisk nod, the bronze-haired boy stepped back from Alice and Jasper, eyes fixed on the slowly lightening horizon. The girl with mahogany hair touched him lightly on the shoulder, and the bronze-haired boy pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her hair gently. After a moment or so of awkwardness, the dark-haired boy from the second group cleared his throat.

"Uh, Edward, Bella, sorry to break up your...togetherness…but it's going to be light soon. We'd better head back to Forks." Edward let go of Bella and looked over at the boy.

"You're right, Ulrich. It's about time to go."

"And we have to get Rose's car back before she returns from hunting," Alice laughed. The girl with Ulrich looked stunned.

"You mean she doesn't know we're using it to race?" she asked after a second. Alice laughed again, the light tinkling sound filling the area.

"Nope. That's why we need to go back, now," she pointed out, looking meaningfully at Edward, who tactfully ignored her. The girl, whose name was Alacia, shook her head.

"Rosalie's gonna kill us…" she murmured, cutting off her statement as the final girl in her group, a beautiful blonde, stepped on her foot. "Ouch. Sadie, that hurt."

"It was meant to," the blonde hissed, her dark golden eyes laughing at her foster sister.

"Alright then, it's settled. Let's head back," Edward headed back towards the Volvo, Bella, Alice, and Jasper following him. Looking over his shoulder he realized that none of the others had moved yet. "I said let's go," he reminded them. Still not one of them moved.

"Are you deaf? Get in the car and let's go, now," Edward ordered, eyes tightening. Ulrich stepped forward, dark golden eyes narrowed.

"Nobody tells my clan what to do except me," he hissed at Edward. Edward hissed in return, muscles tensing as he shifted his weight to the balls of his feet. Ulrich's sharp eyes watched his every move, copying Edward. The bronze-haired boy stepped forward suddenly and Ulrich dropped into a defensive crouch, lips pulled back from his glistening white teeth. Edward crouched also, a low growl building in his chest, Ulrich responding with a snarl that sent nearby birds and animals fleeing for cover. The two vampires faced each other, their aggressive stances showing their readiness to attack at any moment. Both Bella and Alacia stepped forward, each going to their mates' shoulders and whispering in their ears. Slowly, Edward and Ulrich straightened up, still glaring at each other with heated gazes. Bella kissed Edward's cheek and his tense expression softened, looking on his mate with love. Alacia murmured softly in Ulrich's ear and he calmed down completely.

"Sorry, Ulrich," Edward muttered, ducking his head submissively.

"It's alright now," Ulrich replied, a smile gracing his perfect lips. "Let's get on the road so Rosalie doesn't find out."

"Agreed! Now let's go!" Alice piped up, sticking her head out of the car. Jasper eyed her suspiciously. It was obvious to him that Alice knew something he didn't. Edward caught the end of Jasper's thoughts and looked over at Alice, who shrugged.

"If we don't hurry then Rosalie's going to catch us," she pointed out. "She's almost done hunting now and will be heading home any minute."

"So let's go!" the other boy from Ulrich's clan, the one who thought he had heard something, spoke up.

"I second Evan's opinion!" Bella added with a slight shiver. Rosalie still didn't like her very much, even though Bella had been Edward's mate for five years now.

"It's settled then," Ulrich finished, turning and going to the red convertible, the rest of his family following him. In a matter of seconds the two cars had pulled out onto the highway and were racing back toward Forks at close to ninety miles per hour.


End file.
